Meaning & use
wincing
Making a brief, involuntary facial expression that shows sudden pain, embarrassment, or discomfort.
See it in a sentence
She kept wincing as the nurse cleaned the cut on her knee.
He read the harsh review wincing at every unkind sentence.
A note on using this word
Wincing is the present participle of wince; it describes a facial reaction to something unpleasant rather than pulling the whole body away.
Words with a similar meaning
flinchinggrimacing
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wincing”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.